Google dropped a bunch of Glass related news today. First up are some high level specifications which posted in an FAQ document. There's still no word about SoC or platform beyond the rumors we've heard in the past that Glass is like a WiFi-only Galaxy Nexus. This is the first time we've seen official disclosure of some level of specifications however. From the spec page we get the following, which I've put in a table.

Google Glass Specs

Google Glass

SoC

Unknown

Display

640x360 "Equivalent of a 25 inch high definition screen from eight feet away"

Google is very light on detail here, and doesn't give resolution directly although it's obvious looking at the UI Guidelines from the SDK that 640x360 is the native resolution of the projection system. There's no explicit callout of what SoC is inside (although OMAP4 continues to be a persistent rumor) or battery size in milliamp hours or watt-hours. In addition we see the inclusion of 802.11b/g and no 802.11n, which is a bit curious, although I suspect most of the time Google Glass will be tethered to a smartphone over Bluetooth for connectivity with the companion application. Google also released the Mirror API documentation and a few sample applications alongside.

The other news is the first official communication of something along the lines of a delivery date for Glass Explorers. In an email sent out today, Google announced that the first Google Glass Explorer models are rolling off production lines and will begin shipping to explorers in waves. I committed myself to getting a Google Glass Explorer at Google I/O 2012 and eagerly await getting hands on time with the $1,500 wearable device.

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That's essentially their usage model, hence the implicit requirement that you have an Android device with Bluetooth. I'm sure it'll work standalone to some extent (they say a bluetooth enabled phone, I assume so it can tether) but ideally it needs that companion application.

Do you have any information on the software side of things ? Specifically whether or not it will be "open" for people to run their own software on it ? And I don't mean running specialized android apps.And if it is just a bluetooth projector and microphone hidden away in a pair of glasses, why would it need an ARM core in it's SoC ? Reply